The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for constructing a temporary automotive vehicle parking lot on a land area.
The transportation industry often requires additional parking areas for temporary automotive vehicle storage prior to vehicle transfer and/or distribution. Such parking areas are typically needed adjacent rail yards and automotive production facilities. These additional parking areas are sometimes only needed for a relatively short period of time, such as two or three months, but can also be used for up to five years. Regardless, it is desirable to minimize the time and expenses associated with constructing the additional parking areas.
Traditionally automotive vehicle parking lots are constructed by covering a land area with concrete or asphalt. These traditional construction methods provide a desirable hard surface for automotive vehicles to be driven on, but are time-consuming and expensive. Further, covering the land area with concrete or asphalt can create complications in the project, such as having to construct a retention pond to deal with excess rain water.
Other less permanent methods for constructing automotive vehicle parking lots are also known. These other methods include covering a land area with gravel, wood chips, or shredded rubber from recycled tires. These non-traditional methods reduce the time and expenses associated with constructing the parking areas. However, these methods do not provide the desired parking surface, and can lead to the automotive vehicles being damaged. Such automotive vehicle damage can range from scratches in a vehicle""s paint to extensive body damage caused by vehicles sliding into one another when excessive rain washes away the gravel, wood chips, or shredded rubber, and turns at least a portion of the parking area into a mud pit.
The present invention is a method of constructing a temporary automotive vehicle parking lot on a land area. According to the inventive method, a composite drainage material is provided through which water drains. The composite drainage material comprises a polymeric open mesh core between first and second layers of a non-woven geo-textile fabric. The land area is covered with the composite drainage material by placing rolls of the composite drainage material adjacent one another to form the temporary automotive parking lot. The rolls of the composite drainage material are unrolled over the land area so that longitudinal edge portions of adjacent rolls adjoin one another. A portion of the longitudinal edge portions of the adjacent rolls are overlapped. The overlapped portions of the longitudinal edge portions of adjacent rolls are secured to each other and not to the land area to create a gapless and continuous surface of the composite drainage material with at least the majority of the land area lying underneath the composite drainage material. The first layer of each of the rolls contacts the land area. The second layer of each of the rolls faces away from the land area and provides the gapless and continuous surface on which automotive vehicles are parked. The composite drainage material directs water which contacts the second layer through the first layer, through the core between the layers, and into the land area covered by the composite drainage material.
According to one aspect of the inventive method, the step of securing the overlapped portions of the adjacent rolls comprises the steps of looping a plurality of tie members through the overlapped portions of the cores along the longitudinal edge portions of each of the adjacent rolls, and tightening the tie members to attach the cores of the adjacent rolls to each other.
According to another aspect of the inventive method, the step of securing the overlapped portions of the adjacent rolls further comprises the step of securing the second layer of the adjacent rolls to each other to form a longitudinal seam.
The present invention further provides an apparatus for constructing a temporary automotive vehicle parking lot on a land area. The apparatus comprises a composite drainage material through which water drains. The composite drainage material comprises a polymeric open mesh core disposed between first and second layers of a non-woven geo-textile fabric. The composite drainage material is adapted to cover the land area so that the land area lies underneath the composite drainage material. The first layer contacts the land area. The second layer faces away from the land area and has a surface on which automotive vehicles are parked. The composite drainage material directs water which contacts the second layer through the first and second layers, through the core between the layers, and into the land area covered by the composite drainage material. The composite drainage material is formed in rolls. Each of the rolls has longitudinal edge portions and is unrolled adjacent one another to cover the land area to form the temporary automotive parking lot. At least a portion of the adjacent longitudinal edge portions of the rolls overlaps each other. The longitudinal edge portions are secured to each other and not to the land area at the overlapping portions to form a continuous and gapless surface made of the composite drainage material.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the overlapped portions of the longitudinal edge portions comprise portions of the core in each of the adjacent rolls. The overlapped portions of the cores are secured together by a plurality of tie members that are looped through the overlapped portions and tightened.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the second layer of each of the adjacent rolls is secured to each other to form a longitudinal seam.